Are you demonstrating equity with students and the content of your course?
Consider this resource, a Course Equity Map, that helps you think equity first when considering eight components of your course:
- Learning Outcomes — Clearly stated, student-centered, consideration of students’ time, outcomes applicable to real life
- Assessment — Many measures, many different measures; rubrics, formative and summative assessment, give flexibility in scoring
- Content — Accessible, relevant, non-Western perspectives, learning from discovery
- Activities — Accessible, reduction of cultural and confidence barriers to participation, multiple ways to participate
- Syllabus — Introduce course to students at different learning levels, incentivize ways to come to office hours/why they’re important
- Teaching Strategies — Active, adaptive learning; multiple ways to engage with content/learning styles; operational agreements/rules of engagement/rules of discussion contract. Consider your implicit bias (attitudes, reactions and stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner) when communicating in the classroom
- Policies — Flexible with students’ obligations that may conflict (at your discretion)
- Other Considerations — Accessibility of learning space/technologies
These components are then mapped by course design (how the course is set up) and your pedagogy (how you teach).
Many of these aspects are based on Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles. Read this blog post to learn more about UDL.
If you have questions or want to engage in course planning with this template, Chris Neary can help.
This resource is attributed to the Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching at Northwestern University.